April 13 (UPI) — A federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch because Trump’s team didn’t show “actual malice.”
Because Trump is a public figure, he must prove malice in a defamation suit.
The case centers on a July 2024 Journal article that alleged that Trump wrote a bawdy birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump sued the paper for defamation in September. The Journal asked the judge to toss the case.
Judge Darrin Gayles of the District Court in Miami said that Trump had “not plausibly alleged that the Defendants published the Article with actual malice.”
Trump will be able to file an amended suit by April 27.
Gayles said Trump’s suit “comes nowhere close to” the standard for showing that the Journal avoided investigating the statements it published.
“The Article explains that, before running the story, Defendants contacted President Trump, Justice Department officials, and the FBI for comment,” the judge wrote.
“President Trump responded with his denial, the Justice Department did not respond at all, and the FBI declined to comment. In short, the Complaint and Article confirm that Defendants attempted to investigate.”
A spokesperson said Trump will file the amended suit.
“President Trump will follow Judge Gayles’ ruling and guidance to refile this powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement. “The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People.”
The Journal’s team said it was “pleased.”
“We are pleased with the judge’s decision to dismiss this complaint. We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal’s reporting,” a spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal’s owner, said in a statement.
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